KIBS rooted as agents of territorial development: a case study

  • Iñigo Calvo-Sotomayor
  • Aitziber Larumbe Torrens Eurogap, País Vasco
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/bee.3466
Keywords: Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS), Embeddedness, Market Orientation, Business marketing, Territorial development

Abstract

Knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) contribute to improving both innovation and competitiveness in businesses and also in the region. KIBS include consulting firms that help to innovate and transfer their expert knowledge to both individual organisations and regions. Territorial embeddedness is key to the deployment of KIBS’ territorial contribution. This article presents the case of a business marketing consulting firm and studies how it has contributed to the development of businesses and the territory from its own unique perspective for more than three decades.

Author Biography

Aitziber Larumbe Torrens, Eurogap, País Vasco

Managing Partner at EUROGAP, in addition to managing and developing the company's business, she has led consulting projects in multiple sectors of activity, related to strategic management services, marketing, and sales. Previously, she worked in marketing, retail, and international projects. She is a regular contributor and lecturer at the University of Deusto and the Basque Culinary Center; and she is a member of the Governing Board of the Basque Association of Economists.

References

Amancio, I. R., Mendes G. H. S., Moralles, H. F., Fischer B. B. & Sisti, E. (2022). The interplay between KIBS and manufacturers: a scoping review of major key themes and research opportunities. European Planning Studies, 30(10), 1919-1941. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2021.1995852

Aragón-Amonarriz, C. (2021). ¿Cómo contribuye el enraizamiento territorial de las empresas familiares a la generación de valor social? Tres dinámicas de aportación de valor social sostenibles y sus lecciones prácticas. Boletín de Estudios Económicos, 76(232), 85-97.

Bessant, J. & Rush, H. (1995). Building bridges for innovation:the role of consultants in technology transfer. Research Policy, 24, 97-114.

Boden, M., & Miles, I. (2000). Services and the Knowledge-Based Economy. Continuum.

Doloreux, D., & Shearmur, R. (2013). Innovation and knowledge-intensive business services: The contribution of knowledge-intensive business services to innovation in manufacturing firms. Regional Studies, 47(8), 1313–1327.

Horváth, K. & Berbegal-Mirabent, J. (2022). The Role of universities on the consolidation of knowledge-based sectors: a spatial econometric análisis of KIBS formation rates in Spanhish regions. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 81, 100900.

Horváth, K., & Rabetino, R. (2019). Knowledge-intensive Territorial Servitization: Regional Driving Forces and the Role of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. Regional Studies, 53(3), 330–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2018.1469741

Kamp, B. & Alcalde, H. (2014). Servitization in the Basque Economy, Strategic Change, 23, 359-374.

Kamp, B. & Ruiz de Apodaca, I. (2017). Are KIBS beneficial to international business performance: Evidence from the Basque Country, Competitiveness Review, 27(1), 80-95.

Knapp, T. U., Estensoro, M., Narvaiza, L., Poeppelbuss, J., Eizmendi, O., & O’Higgins, C. (2025). Territorial Servitization: Learnings from Basque Country and Ruhr Valley. Orkestra. https://doi.org/10.18543/UVXD8556

Lafuente, E., Vaillant, Y., & Vendrell-Herrero, F. (2017). Territorial Servitization: Exploring the Virtuous Circle Connecting Knowledge-Intensive Services and new Manufacturing Businesses. International Journal of Production Economics, 192, 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.12.006

Martínez-Sanchís, P. (2024). Nurturing entrepreneurial family embeddedness: Practical insights from a territorial perspective. Boletín de Estudios Económicos, 78(234), 141-161.

Miles, I. (2005). Knowledge intensive business services: prospects and policies, Foresight, 7(6), 39-63. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636680510630939

Miles, I., Kastrinos, N., Flanagan, K., Bilderbeek, R., den Hertog, P., Huntink, W., & Bouman, M. (1995). Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: Users, Carriers and Sources of Innovation. European Innovation Monitoring System (EIMS), Report No. 15, European Commission.

Muller, E., & Zenker, A. (2001). Business services as actors of knowledge transformation: The role of KIBS in regional and national innovation systems. Research Policy, 30(9), 1501–1516.

Narvaiza, L., Campos, J. A., Martín-Peña, M. L., & Díaz-Garrido, E. (2024). Characterizing digital service innovation: phases, actors, functions and interactions in the context of a digital service platform. Journal of Service Management, 35(2), 253-279.

Opazo-Basáez, M., Narvaiza, L., & Campos, J.A. (2020). Does distance really matter? Assessing the impact of KIBS proximity on firms’ servitization capacity: evidence from the Basque country). Investigaciones Regionales - Journal of Regional Research, 2020/3(48), 51-68. https://doi.org/10.38191/iirr-jorr.20.020

Opazo-Basáez, M., Vendrell-Herrero, F. & Bustinza, O.F. (2022). Digital service innovation: a paradigm shift in technological innovation. Journal of Service Management, 33(1), pp. 97-120.

Pereira, A., & Vence, X. (2021). The role of KIBS and consultancy in the emergence of Circular Oriented Innovation, Journal of Cleaner Production, 302, 127000.

Rabetino, R., Kohtamäki, & Huikkola, T. (2024). Digital service innovation (DSI): a multidisciplinary (re)view of its origins and progress using bibliometric and text mining methods. Journal of Service Management, 35(2), 176-201.

Seclen, J., & J. Barrutia (2018). KIBS and Innovation in Machine Tool manufacturers. Evidence from the Basque Country. International Journal of Business Environment, 10(2), 112–131. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBE.2018.095808

Shearmur, R., & Doloreux, D. (2013). Innovation and knowledge-intensive business service: the contribution of knowledge-intensive business service to innovation in manufacturing establishments. Economics of Innovation and New Technologies, 22(8), 751-774. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438599.2013.786581.

Published
2026-02-27
How to Cite
Calvo-Sotomayor, Iñigo, and Aitziber Larumbe Torrens. 2026. “KIBS Rooted As Agents of Territorial Development: A Case Study”. Bulletin of Economic Studies 80 (236), 245-57. https://doi.org/10.18543/bee.3466.
Issue
Vol. 80 No. 236 (2025): Innovation in marketing and services in the context of digital transformation
Section
Articles

Copyright (c) 2026 Deusto Business Alumni

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

License:
Works published in this journal are available since 2021 under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license - CC BY-NC 4.0. Content prior to 2021 is not covered by the journal's current Open Access policy.

Authors' Rights:
Authors retain copyright over their work published in the Bulletin of Economic Studies and grant the Bulletin of Economic Studies non-exclusive rights to exploit the work for layout, publication, and dissemination purposes. This license allows the Bulletin of Economic Studies to distribute, reproduce, and disseminate the work on its platform and through other media, subject to the conditions outlined in this notice.

Readers' Rights:
Readers may read, download, print, search, share (copy, redistribute, or link to full text), or adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) the content, provided that:

  • The materials are not used for commercial purposes.
  • The original work is properly cited, including the name of the author and the source.
  • Any modifications made to the original content are clearly indicated.

Commercial use of the materials is prohibited without the express permission of the authors. For clarity, commercial use is defined as any activity intended for financial gain or involving direct commercial exchange.

Conditions of Use:
The use of content must not infringe the rights of others or be used in a way that could damage the reputation of the author or the Bulletin of Economic Studies.

Responsibility for Content:
Authors are responsible for the content of their papers and the Bulletin of Economic Studies is not responsible for the opinions therein expressed.

More Information:
Open Access, Licensing, and Copyright Policy

Most read articles by the same author(s)